The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-10-27

views on points of theological doctrine but toIus
doctrin whatever gives value 70 elmer TINS
uoeuhe or that is the light which is shed on IL by
le me and teaching, the death and resurrection,
OF ~ our common Lord. Thus completely does
1sS ana Christ alone fulfill the first requisite OF
t tne nerve OF missions. He is the common bond
1nSI uIaWs us together here tonight from near
Sathers ~ thls common enterprise. re II IS VINO
ASSOCIATION that shall be offered, every dollar that
s 81 an De given, every word that shall be said,
every sermon that shall be preached, every les
son That shall be taught in the support and pro-
th o. the work of this association throughout
:, In the second place, Christ gives the impulse to
WIS WORK The sensOry nerve 81 Missions Is the
grateful appreciation OF what Christ has done for
US. FOR all that makes states secure and stable
society kindly and considerable, home sweet and
p we are indebted TO the influence
Si Snflst upon the, world; Compare the
Christian families in the Christian communities of
Ohirstaln states with the corresponding aspects
OF me IN ancient Ephesus Corinth, or Rome, II
you would measure our Indebtedness to Christ for
an tnal makes life bright and blessed. And then
asa an II we look from the outward development
vi we worlds history and institutions, TO the In
Waru transformation of our own natures and char
acterS, we are brought back again to Christ What
ever radical change for the better has ever come
TO you and me. Whatever has helped us to put off
our Inalace and envey our pride and seltshness
nas asenSuaty and meanless and to put on kind
purity and nobleness, has not this
al peen due to Christ, as he then came to us. IN
mi ,I IN MS Spirit in the person Of some fah
gwen place to hope discord TO peace, anxiety to
trust rebellion and antagonism to submission and
love, Is not Christ both the Alpha ana the
omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the ending OF this mighty deliver
ance? AS we value all that i glorious IN Christ
IAN history and precious In christian institutions,
as we prize whatever enables us to give each Tor
himself satisfactory answer to this ages mock
ing question. "ls life worth lving?" AS we
cherish our own souls renovated life, so we
must feel the impulse to dofor Christ something
IN return for what he has done, IS doing, and as
we trust will cont inue to the end to do for us.
Christ and Christ alone fulflls the second requis
lte Of the nerve of Missions. Having bound us all
together he quckens within us the impulse to do
In the third place he gives direction to our eff
forts. On what shall this awakened effort
OF ORGANIZED christianity expend itself? What
shall be standard OF judicious effort and wise
expenditure? Here again as his service and sac
rfce for us gave the impulse, so the life and work
The Missionary Association is to do as nearly
as possible what Christ did when on earth in
bodily presence to-day. Shall we seek out the
most destitute and needy? Christ did. Christ
would. Therefore we will do the same. Shall we
preach verbal gospel, leaving their blind eyes
unopened, their hungry mouths unfed, their emp
ty minds untitled and their idle hours unoccuped?
Christ did nothing of the kind in Georgia or Da-
kota. Therefore the American Missionary AS
ISOLATION does nothing OF the kind. To proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to
the blInd, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to proclaim the acceptable year Of the Lord this
was the mission Christ fulfilled on earth Preach
Ing. healing and cleansing were the works he en-,
in bodily form tonight, the broad policy Of taking
men just as we find them and doing for them
whatever Is necessary to make them clean and
pure, strong ard sturdy, sweet and gentle sons
and daughters of the Most High, is what he would
enjoin upon us. This the Missionary Association
tries its best to do. From the first II has coupled
merely means to the religious; tits part OF il.
Education is not the bait and religion the hook,
with which to catch converts. Rather education
and religion are the food and drink with which to-
gether TO build up manhood and character. DO
net think Jesus healed the sex or fed the hungry
simply as bait to draw men to his hook. No he
was moved with compassion, and he did these
services because, though not the highest, they
We're yet essential 10 the complete manhood Of
those to whom he thus ministered. When mis-
sionary association uses its medical staff or its
teaching force as so mneh bait; when church
uses its music and sOciables and entertainments,
or Young Mems Christian Association Its read
ing room and gymnasium merely as an attraction
to draw men TO something else, 1t parts company
at the same time with Christ and with complete
sincerity. All these things are most excellent
the more the better-when they are employed as
elements essential to the work of perfecting the
rounded manhood of members and converts. Thus
the American Missionary Association regards
these phases of its work. 1t includes mental and
manual training, because these are essential,
though subordinate elements in that complete
and rounded character which the spirit of Christ
Christ the directing, as well as the uniting and
impelling force In missions He fulhlls these
three requisites of the nerve Of missions.
In conclusion, let me call attention to other
analogy between the nerve fthe body, and Christ
as the untfyng, impelling and directing power Of
missions. That which to the naked eye looks
like single nerve is in reality one or more bun
dies of smaller fibris. The optic nerve, for in
stance is COMPOSED of not less than one hundred
thousand of these minute fibrls. SO Christ as the
nerve of missions includes multitude of subOl-
dinate considerations. have said that the nerve
OF missions Is not philanthropy or patriotism, or
eeelesiasticism, or theology 1t is not any one of
these slngly or exclusively. And yet 1t includes
them al az elements . These are among the sep
Christ loves men, Just as they are, though
he loves them chiefly for what he
Can make of them He includes philan
thropy and more. SO this association mel
dentally does great philanthropic work. Simply
on the plan OF making poor and wretched children
glad and happy, what philanthrophic enterprise
during the past year has done more than the four
hundred servants of this ass lciation have done
for their eleven thousand pupils? What equal
number of men and woman have done as much at
cost OF less than $500 for each minister and
teacher; and at cost of only $50, for each pupil
taught? The annals Of philanthropy not
match on its own chosen plain the work Of this as
ISOLATION simply because this association has done
its work IRON motive that is higher, stronger,
steadier and wiser than mere philanthropy ever
can be- 1t illustrates Emerson's saying. He that
wonld do anything well must come to it from
Christ loves the nations of the earth; though
chiefly for tn degree in which they minister to
spiritual development Of their citizens. Christ
includes patriotism and more. And under the
impulse and guidance it has received from Christ
the Association is doing every year great patri-
otto WORK In giving directly through its teachers
or indirectly through former converts and pupils
the rudiments of a sound education and the prin-
eiples of decent morality TO quarter of a mil
lion future citizens And Il does this so grandly
so steadily, so unostentatiously, simply because
person who is more than patriot is its moving
and directing power. Christ loves his church.
Yet not so much for the name it bears and the
framework that sustains it, as for its ministry
with upbuldng of character in the likeness and
love of God. Christ includes an element Of eccle-
siasicism and vastly more. And so under his guild
ance this association in enlghtening, cheering
comforting and blessing the neglected and down
tr0dden races and communities of our land is
clothing the church in the richest glory the church
can wear likeness TO the Lord himself. This
ignorant. the blind and the uOclean what Jesus
and his immediate disciples did for them in his
we are truly and genuinely his and their success
sors. But the reflection OF glory upon the church
was not the aim of the founders They faced op-
position and obloquy rather. This association is
a crown of glory TO our churches simply because
! It acts in obedience to orders that look higher
| than church ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
And finally Christ loves orderly and systematic
presentations of religious truth. Christ includes
theology instead of being included in it, Yet it is
| not so much for the formulation OF truth as for
its application to the uplifting ana energiZng of
human life, that Christ supremacy cares. And so
this association has ever regarded its preaching
| like its teaching as an instrument by which to
build up manly and womanly character in the
| likeness and the love of Christ. And so it has
| always presented healthy and vigorous theology
because has set its heart on what is higher
| than theology.
Christ is the nerve of missions. This A. M. A.
| is the hand of Christ outstretched to the more
| needy and neglected of our fellow citizens and
| fellow men. You and as Christians have voices
| which belong to Christ Shall we not then speak
and pray in its behalf, We as Christians have
| ChriSt's money. Shall we not put it in Christ's
| own hand, and give TO these needy brothers and
| sisters so many dollars worth of Christ's in
struction, Christs good tidings, Chrst's comfort
| and Christ's saving grace? We surely shall if
| Christ be in us; if we have any part in him. if he
means anything to us and we care aught for him.
For he is the nerve of missions. And to cut or Kill
| that nerve IS the severing of our hearts from
| Christ, or the deadening OF them within US. BY
Gods grace that shall never br. Shall we not all
| rather say with st. Paul. knowing that separate
from Christ and Indifference to and neglect of un-
| necessary work mean one and the same thing,
| in view of Identification with this association,
| shall we not say with st. Paul: II am persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor prin-
cipaties, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
| things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to
| separate ms from the love OF God, which is in
christ Jesus, ourLord."
| Hon. Nelson Dingley of Maine, was intro
| duced, and addressed the Association as fol-
| lows 'f4I
| Congressman DingIey's Address.
am gratifed to be able to manifest my interes
In the work of the American Missionary Associa-
ton by my presence here tonight. Others have
borne witness to the value of the labors of this
missionary organization in its chosen fields and
In its special work among the freedmen OF the
| South and the Indians of Dakota and Nebraska.